Package-display cabinet.



IATENTBD FEB. 1 1905. W. E. TONE.

PACKAGE DISPLAY CABINET.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 28, 1904.

Inven/tor; 6i Tm. y f W Patented February 14, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. TONE, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

PACKAGE-DISPLAY CABINET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 782,430, dated February 14, 1905.

Application filed May 28, 1994. Serial No. 219,221.

cabinet in retail stores, and afcomparatively large number of packages may be contained in the cabinet and displayed, so that purchasers may see the labels on the packages, and any one of the different kinds of packages may be readily, quickly, and easily removed from the cabinet, and so long as said packages are in the cabinet they will be protected from dust.

lvlyinventionconsists in certain details in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set fortlnpointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the complete cabinet in its closed position, one compartment being filled with packages. Fig. 2 shows a central transverse sectional view of the cabinet with the display-front in its closed position and filled with packages, and Fig. .3 shows a like view with a display-front open and without packages therein.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the cabinet proper is composed of a back 10, ends 11, top 12, a bottom 13, and a central shelf 14. On the under side of the cabinet are two transverse strips 1.5 at the ends of the cabinet. Said strips project outwardly beyond the forward edge of the bottom 13.

The display-front is composed of uprights 16, connected by hinges 17 with the forward ends of the strips 15, said hinges permitting the front to swing from a Vertical position outwardly. Near the lower end of the strips 16 is a cross-piece 18, secured to the rear face of the uprights 16 and extended baokwardly to a point adjacent to the front edge of the bottom piece 13. Secured to the uprights 16 some distance above the cross-piece 18 is a of which is beveled at 20. The cross-pieces 18 and 19 are spaced apart far enough to permit a package to be withdrawn from the display-front between said cross-pieces. Above the cross-piece 19 isanother cross-piece21, parallel with the cross-piece 19 and having its rear under surface beveled at 22. The cross-pieces 21 and 20 are spaced apart far enough to permit the withdrawal of a package between them. Above the cross-piece 20 is a glass panel 23, and above the glass panel 23 is a top cross-piece 24:.

Secured to the rear face of the upright 16 arethe ends 25 0f the display-front. These ends project inwardly from the display-front and are arranged to pass under the top 12. The lower ends of the end pieces 25 are inclined downwardly and forwardly and rest upon the cross-piece 18. A partition 26 is fixed to the ends 25 a short distance from the rear of the front. The upper end portion of said partition is arranged vertically, and the lower end portion of said partition inclines downwardly and forwardly, and its lower end is attached to the rear of the cross-piece 19. The space between the partition 26 and the front is divided into upright package-compartments by means of the upright partitionstrips :27, the lower ends of which are beveled to fit the lower end portion of the partition 26. In the rear of the partition 26 is a second partition. 28, the upper end portion of which is vertically arranged and the lower end portion inclines. downwardly and forand the other end to a hook 32 on the crosspiece 24.

The packages used in my display-cabinet are indicated by the numeral 33 and are of such size that they may freely enter between the partitions 26 and 28 and also between the partition-strips attached to either of two said partitions, and anumber of said packages may be placed in each compartment formed by the partition-strips 27 and 29. The lowermost ones of the packages between the strips 27 will rest upon the top of the cross-piece l9 and against the lower end of the cross-piece 22, so that the front of each package is displayed between the said cross-pieces. The lower front corner of the package projects beyond the cross-piece 19, so that it may be readily grasped by an operators fingers, and when the lower end is tilted forwardly the package may easily be removed through the openings between the cross-pieces 19 and 21. The packages inserted between the strips 29 are of such size that the lower one thereof will rest upon the cross-piece 18 and its lower forward corner will project beyond the said cross-piece. The front of the package may be seen through the space between the strips 18 and 19, and the package may be removed by tilting the lower end of the package forwardly.

In practical use each compartment in the front of the cabinet is filled with packages of diiferent kinds, and the body of the cabinet may be filled with more of the same kinds of packages. Then the cabinet may be shipped, and when placed in a store the lowermost one of the packages in each compartment may be seen through the openings in the display-front.

I Furthermore, a number of other packages may be seen through the display-front of the cabinet. When the operator desires to remove a package of any of the kinds displayed in the display-front, he may do this quickly and easily by tilting the lower end of the package forwardly and withdrawing it through the display-front. The remaining packages in the compartment will drop by gravity, so that there will always be a package displayed at the front. As fast as the packages in the front are exhausted the operator may renewthem by opening the display-front and taking packages from the interior of the cabinetand dropping them into the open front of said cabinet.

When the display-front is closed, the tops of all of the compartments will be protected from dust, and dust will be prevented from entering the lower ends of the compartments by the packages themselves.

By providing a number of partitions behind the display-front the central partition serves as the back for one compartment and for the front of another, and by inclining the lower ends of the compartments downwardly and forwardly the packages are delivered at the front. In this Way a cabinet of comparatively small size may be adapted to contain a large number of packages of different kinds, and yet practically the entire front is devoted to a display of the packages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is

A package-display cabinet, comprising a cabinet-frame open at its front, strips at the bottom of the cabinet-frame projecting forwardly beyond the bottom, a display-front comprising uprights hinged to said strips, a cross-piece at the bottom of the uprights fixed thereto and projecting rearwardly, a number of other cross-pieces fixed to the said uprights having their inner lower corners beveled, said cross-pieces spaced apart from each other, a glass panel in the front above the upper one of said cross-pieces, a number of partitions supported by the display-front, their upper end portions parallel with the display-front and their lower end portions inclined downwardly and forwardly and each attached to one of the cross-pieces of the display-front 

